Finding it hard to drive qualified traffic to your heritage website and get it discovered by potential customers who live within your area? We know how crappy that feels, and you know what? We know very well how to solve the issue.
Local SEO for heritage businesses
In today’s highly competitive world, having a local SEO strategy has become more crucial than ever, especially for those with brick-and-mortar storefronts. When implemented right, local SEO will help your target audience find you easily online. You’ll be able to position your products and/or services to searchers in your area who are likely ready to convert.
Not only that, but optimizing your site for local search can also result in more organic traffic, more leads, and yep, more sales. You’ll be on your way to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs).
Local SEO for heritage businesses is definitely something you’ll want to invest in!
And so, to get you started, we’ve rounded up the best tried-and-true tactics that can grow your brand and keep you ahead of your competitors through the power of local SEO. Let’s take a look at them below!
Create a Google Business Profile
Formerly called Google My Business, Google Business Profile is a platform that aims to tell users everything they need to know about a business – contact info, address, operating hours, products, services, you name it. Think of it as the modern-day version of yellow pages.
Once you’re done listing down your heritage company and filling out all the required details, your next move is to have it verified by Google. Your establishment will then be visible on Google Maps, Google Search local results, and the Google Search Knowledge Panel.
Don’t forget to optimize your Business Profile to boost your local SEO efforts and leave a good first impression for prospective customers. Highlight the things that make you unique from everybody else, provide high-quality photos, publish posts regularly to update your audience, and encourage customers to leave reviews.
If Google is impressed with your optimized bio, expect it to give you a high local ranking.
Take Advantage of Online Directories
Popular online directories such as Yelp, Bing Places, FourSquare, and Angie’s List exist to help businesses of all sizes attract new customers. It makes perfect sense that you’ll want to list your heritage business in them.
Make sure that your NAP (name, address, phone number) citations are consistent across all platforms. Check for any discrepancies, too. If Google detects errors like misspellings, lack of suite number, incomplete abbreviations, or incorrect phone number, it may not show your business in search results. That’s because it doesn’t know which info is true.
Also, try to get a Chamber of Commerce membership in your community to gain an external inbound link specific to your area. Doing so can further improve your local SEO.
Leverage Local Keywords
One of the most effective ways to boost your online visibility in local SERPs is by including location-based keywords throughout your web pages and content.
Suppose you have a digital marketing agency in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Adding the phrase “digital marketing agency Fort Lauderdale FL” in essential elements like title tags, headings, and body of your copy can get your website to rank well in local search. Consider using industry-related keywords too, such as “SEO Fort Lauderdale” or “web design services in Fort Lauderdale”.
Bear in mind that the relevancy of your content to the search term is a primary Google ranking factor for all searches. That’s why it’s important to take time doing in-depth keyword research in order to know which industry-related keywords have the highest search volume and search intent.
Focus on Local Content
It’s no surprise that publishing engaging content your target audience finds valuable and informative can keep them coming back to your heritage website.
However, did you know that it can also improve your ranking in terms of relevancy? In fact, the more relevant your content is, the higher search engine bots rank you. That’s because they want to offer people nothing but the best solutions online.
Check out SEO Dennis, a full-service digital marketing agency committed to building solutions that create rewarding results for real estate businesses.
So, besides covering topics related to your business and products, you could write about local topics too. This can be anything from local news and industry-related updates to promoting community events and even introducing your staff to everyone.
Get Inbound Links from High-Authority Websites
Inbound links, or backlinks, tell Google that you’re a legitimate business, leading it to enhance your local SEO. At the same time, they help raise your domain authority, especially if those links come from well-established sources.
Getting backlinks isn’t all that complicated. You can start by guest blogging for a popular local website or for any prominent name in the heritage business industry. It’s a great way to promote your expertise and earn quality links.
Another strategy is by using your blog to link to other blogs. The more you link to others, the higher the possibility is that some of them will gladly return the favor. Plus, leveraging the wealth of resources online can make your blog’s experience better and more fulfilling for your readers.
There You Have It!
That concludes our local SEO guide to growing your heritage business. You should know, though, that what we tackled here are just the basics. There are tons of other strategies that can bolster your efforts and get you to dominate local search engines, but you can always begin with the basics!
